s 15212 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE Septemba 19, l!JI .J
/
STATEMENTS ON ~ODUCED
Bn.LS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. MANSFIELD (for himself,
Mr. AIKEN, Mr. SAXBE, Mr.
CHURCH, Mr. RoBERT C. BYRD,
Mr. CRANSTON, Mr. JACKSON, Mr.
METCALF, Mr. HART, Mr. RIBI­COFF,
Mr. SCHWEIKER, Mr. TuN­NEY,
Mr. BAYH, Mr. RANDOLPH,
Mr. INOUYE, Mr. MONTOYA, Mr.
COOK, Mr. PASTORE, Mr. MUSKIE,
Mr. MAGNUSON, Mr. SPONG, Mr.
BROOKE, Mr. CASE, Mr. PEARSON,
Mr. BI&.E, Mr. MATHIAS, Mr.
HATFIELD, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr.
NELSON, Mr. CHILES, Mr. EAST­LAND,
Mr. BENTSEN, Mr. ANDER­SOH,
Mr. GRIFFIN, Mr. STAFFORD,
Mr. STEVENS, Mr. WEICKER, Mr.
EAGLETON, Mr. MONDALE, Mr.
STEVENSON, Mr. GAMBRELL, Mr.
PROXMIRE, Mr. HUMPHREY, Mr.
SYMINGTON, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr.
GURNEY, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr.
McGOVERN, Mr. BEALL, Mr. HAR­RIS,
Mr. PERCY, Mr. BURDICK,
Mr. HOLLINGS, Mr. JORDAN of
North Carolina., Mr. HARTKE,
Mr. COOPER, Mr. DOLE, Mr.
YOUNG, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. BOGGS,
Mr. TOWER, Mr. THURMOND, Mr.
BAKER, Mr. ROTH, Mr. PELL, Mr.
JAVITS, Mr. PACKWOOD, Mr. CAN­NON,
Mr. Moss, Mr. HUGHES, Mr.
GRAVEL, and Mr. MCGEE):
S. 1001. A bill to amend title II of the
Social Security Act to provide for the
liberalization and automatic adjust­ment
in accordance with rising wage
leveLs--of the earnings test therew1der,
which provides for deductions in month­ly
benefits on account of excess earnings.
Referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. President, for
some time the distinguished senior Sena­tor
from Vermont, the ranking Member
in this body, and I have discussed at
breakfast the plight of our older citizens
on social security. As a result of these
conversations, and on behalf of the dis­tinguished
senior Senator from Vermont
Mike Mansfield Papers, Series 21, Box 48, Folder 41, Mansfield Libary, University of Montana
September 19, 1972 CONGRES~IONAL RECORD -SENATE s 15213
<Mr. AIKEN) and myself, we l.Dtroduce a
bill that seeks to provide greater equity
for older Americans whose subsistence is
tied primarily to social security.
It does so 1n two major ways: First, It
increases from $1,680 to $3,000 the out­side
Income a social security pensioner
is entitled to receive without penalty.
The second main feature would reduce
the amount by which the pensioner would
be penalized should his outside earnings
exceed the exemption.
The tota.l effect of this bUI, Mr. Presi­dent,
1s to bring greater relief to senior
citizellS-()r at least to thooe of them who
happen to be subject to the social se­curity
laws. It is in line with past efforts
of the Congress to grant more equitable
treatment to older Americans.
In this regard, the Senate will recall
that It was the Congress, on Its own in­itiative,
that granted a full 20-percent
Increase in benefits to social security
pensioners this year.
We therefore offer the bill in keeping
with this outstanding record. All options
will be reserved with respect to this mat­ter
1n seeking to assure, 1f possible, that
It becomes law before this Congress ad­journs.
Mr. AIKEN. The proposal just made
by the Senator from Montana, the ma­jority
leader, is long overdue. It 1s not
right to keep people living at the poverty
level or less, simply because they are en­titled
to social security.
I am more than glad to be a cospon­sor
of this proposal.
Mr. MANS:Fl:ELD. I thank the dis­tinguished
Senator !rom Vermont.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem­pore.
Does the distinguished acting Re­publican
minority leader desire recogni­tion?
Mr. SA.XBE. At this time, Mr. Pre61-
dent, I just would like to comment upon
this effort, because It is one that 1s well
taken at this time. It points up the grind­ing
effect of inflation upon these people
who presumed and thought Ll}ey received
a promise that they were buying an In­surance
policy. It was never intended
that social security would be considered
as Government support or welfare.
It was contemplated in the past, 1n the
1930's, that this was an actuarial system
whereby they would buy protection In
the form of an Insurance policy. As. we
have advanced through the increases
In the percentage of deduction of pay­rolls,
we have reached the point, I be­lieve,
at 10 perc~nt, where It is imprac­tical,
even impossible, to take from a.
work.in.gm.an's salary more than 10 per­cent
of his pay to support something
which he will get In maybe 40 years, and
which may be worthless, as the 1930 plan
is today.
Therefore, I hope we can get away
from this fiction that soclal security pay­ments
are actuarial and realize It Ia an
obligation of our Government to support
those people who have ce1ntributed
ttu·ough their lifetime to a working
economy.
I think that it Ia long overdue, and I
believe that 1n time tt will extend to rail­road
retirement and to all other railroad
retirement programs that are being
wrecked by runaway inflation.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Will the Senator
yield?
Mr. SAXBE. Yes.
Mr MANSFIELD The Senator has
made a point which I believe cannot be
emphasized too much; that is, these peo­ple
ha\e contributed to their retirement,
so they have earned their way into re­tirement,
but their dollars become of less
Yalue \\;th the passage of time. That is
a natural thing, regardless of the admin­istration
in power, and they are v. ell un­der,
moot of them, if not all or them, the
so-called poverty level as far as income
is concerned.
This is one way in which a rectifica­tion
can be achieved, and I am delighted
that the distlngutshed Senator from Ohio
has Joined the distinguished Senator
from Vermont and me in giving support
to this proposal.
Mr. SAXBE. If I would be permitted,
Mr. President, ::: would like to be a co­sponsor
of this bill.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem­pore.
Without objection, It is so
ordered.
Mr. CHURCH. Mr. President, I want
to c<>mmend the senior Senator !rom
Vermont and the Senator !rom Ohio for
their sponsorship o! the bill introduced
by the senator from Monta.na.
I ask unanimous consent that I may be
joined as a cosponsor of the measure.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem­pore.
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. President, I ask
unanimous consent that the d1stin­guj6hed
assistant majority leader (Mr.
RoBERT C. BYRD) also be listed B.S a co­sponsor
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem­pore.
Without objection. it is so ordered.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. Cranston also.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem­pore.
Without objection. It is so ordered.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. President. I also
ask Wlanimous consent that the distin­guished
Senator from Connecticut <Mr.
RIBICOFF) be added 8.S a COSponsor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem­pore.
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President,
I am pleased to join with the distin­guished
majority leader (Mr. MANsFIELD)
and the distinguished senior Senator
from Vermont <Mr. A.na:N) in cospon­soring
a bill that would make more real­istic
the limitations placed on outside
income received by social security re­cipients.
At present, a social security pensioner
can have an outside Income of $1,680-
anythlng more than that will result in a
proportionate reduction ot his social se­curity
beneftts. The bill that 1s being In­troduced
today raises to $3,000 the
amount of outside Income a pensioner
can have before he or she is penalized by
a reduction 1n benefits. It would also re­duce
the penalties for persons whose
outside incomes exceed the $3,000 limit.
Congress is acutely aware of the bur­den
that social security pensioners rave
had to bear over the past severa.l years.
Inffatlon has hit hardest at these fixed-income
citizens, making their social se­curity
benefits less than subsistence-level
in many cases and driving many of our
older citizens below the poverty lme.
Earlier this year, Congress expressed 1ts
awareness in a positive manner by grant­Ing
an across-the-board 20-percent in­crease
in social security benefits.
The bill will complement the earlier
benefit increase. It is a further step
toward providing equity for older
Americans, granting them greater in­dependence
to supplement their retire­ment
incomes and better enabling them
to fight the spiraling infiation
I am hopeful that Congress will con­tinue
its outstanding accord with regard
to our Nation's social security recipients.
and will take steps to assure that this bill
is ena.c~~ ~to law before a~J~m·~e/
Mike Mansfield Papers, Series 21, Box 48, Folder 41, Mansfield Libary, University of Montana

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